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Spy Seal 1 (August 2017)

Spy Seal is about a seal–Malcolm, the seal’s name is Malcolm–who becomes a spy for MI:6. It’s set in Cold War London, with the Soviets trying to cause turmoil and only so many good guys up for the task. Turns out Malcolm is suited for it, although he only fought Soviet spies because he was drug to an art show (for the free food) when he should’ve been looking for a job.

Creator Rich Tommaso fills this London with talking animals, usually adorable, who are struggling to deal with Cold War tensions boiling over. The animal cast is sometimes inherently funny, but Tommaso’s also got a lot of good scripted comedy. He’s sparing with the puns; they’re often quite subtle and quite good.

His art’s detailed and clean. Malcolm’s adventures take him not just to an art gallery, but also the London rooftops to catch a spy, as well as a dangerous performance piece.

The characterizations are still a little shallow, but it’s early days and Spy Seal is starting strong.